HairM wanted to recognize men in the Portland area who work hard for their families, their careers and
their community. We were happy to see so many worthy candidates and it was tough to narrow it down
to four finalists. The votes have been tallied and we are excited to announce that 

                         Leif Bruce is Portland's Hardest Working Man!

Leif will enjoy a day of pampering at HairM, dinner at Fenouil and a night at Hotel Lucia. 

I would like to nominate Chad Haas as deserving of the "Portland’s Hardest Working Man" for being a visionary and risk taker in founding his startup company, VAULT (www.vaultgarage.com). Chad’s passion is to revolutionize the American garage and he has made many sacrifices and worked very hard to launch his company. I admire Chad for his vision in creating something the world has never seen before and his unwavering determination is an inspiration to anyone who has a dream to change the world. Bootstrapping and self funding the company by himself, his journey hasn’t been easy. As sole founder, Chad had to be highly skilled at extending limited resources to achieve goals quickly, so he taught himself photography and how to be proficient at using Photoshop and Illustrator in order to create his own marketing collateral. He designed his own website. Designed all of the companies products. He did not take a salary for two years, didn’t go on a vacation for three years and worked very long 60-80 hour weeks to make it through all of the ups and downs of building a startup company. He led every aspect of building the company, including operations, marketing, public relations, product development, strategic alliances, and sales to define the brand. Chad bootstrapped his company from concept to $1MM in revenue in just 20 months without the benefit of outside funding, employees or distributors. 

I couldn't agree more! My husband has a job that requires many hours of preparation, but beyond that he is also dedicated to helping the community. Whether it's a weekday evening or weekend event, he volunteers regularly for various groups around town. Sometimes the boys and I will go along to watch him or maybe it's just for the car ride. Either way I know they are learning valuable lessons from their dad. 

Drew's hard work goes way beyond rough hours, entertaining morning segments and lengthy days. It's his commitment to his family, friends and community that makes him truly amazing. I'm glad other people can appreciate that about him as well :)

Anton, already a loyal HairM-ian, is the hardest working man in show business. Wait, that's James Brown. Anton, also known as PAgent, is the hardest working man in PDX. A patent agent at a busy intellectual property law firm, he slaves away at a difficult and minutely detail-oriented profession that would send most of us screaming for the hills. He does this so that the firm's client's IDEAS will be protected legally and so they won't get ripped off. He does this in downtown Portland in an environment that makes such cerebral and detailed work a challenge, just above a corner that is a favorite of some of Portland's least talented street musicians. His days are filled with endless drumming on plastic jugs and horrible covers of classic tunes belted out at volumes and cadences they were never intended for. Additionally, he's a loving father and husband who spends lots of time and love trying to raise two challenging kids. This leads to a lack of sleep and an overabundance of confusion. I can prove this scientifically: He is a adult male trying to raise a daughter who just entered her teenage years. He is perpetually confused by a headstrong young woman who is smarter than he is. (So she thinks, anyway.) In order to raise his kids with an appreciation for the arts, and in order to give back something to the PDX community he knows and loves so well, he got involved with Tears of Joy puppet theater and was chair of their board for a couple of years. Nothing says 'hard working' like making sure a puppeteer can keep their hand up a sock puppet's backside. In short, he works hard for his family, his employers, the arts and the community. And he does it all because he cares about them in a quiet way that goes largely un-noticed. Please, Hair-M, right this injustice and choose Anton, the PAgent!

My husband Chris So deserves this. He is a middle school pricipal and the greatest Dad. So after dealing with everyone elses teenagers all day he comes home and always pitches in at home too. I would love for him to win this and feel like all of his hard work and dedication is recognized.

As the youngest Electrical Contractor in the state of Oregon I want to make sure to be available 24/7 for my customers. It's not the heavy lifting or working extra hours to earn a few extra dollars that makes it a hard job. It's the long days and unexpected calls at night for a service job and the safety of my customers homes. Ask Tasha, she hasn't seen me for a drink for a while. Despite being self-employed is tough, a haircut/massage at HairM alwyas does good things.

Nominating myself... but Adriana F will give me props! Single Dad of 2, long-term volunteer of Komen for the Cure, SF AIDS Foundation (cycled 760 miles and raised $35k), coach of daughter's soccer team, work ~50 hrs/wk for the largest wind energy company in the world (IT director), and race cars @ PIR for fun - next event this halloween benefitting a great kids' charity... and of course a loyal hairm customer!

Its hard not to sound like im boasting but this is my life......Full-time single dad of 5 great kids from 9-17, 4 dogs, and a parrot. "Soccer" dad and scout dad for 3 of the 5. Environmental consultant 50 hours a week. Church on Sunday. Planning Commissioner for city twice a month. Rotary one a week. Volunteer at AIDS hospice with my kids one day a week. Oh yah and we manage to eat a hot dinner together everynight. Ok, im only at 6 hours sleep but life really is great! I just wish HairM was closer to home so maybe I could do even more.

I nominate Court Trevillyan, he works hard and is always ready to help anyone in need, he is all this and a great!!!!! dad, many times I saw him in a hurry to get to a business meeting stopped by one of his 3 children w daddy look at this...and he always does! wow a hard working man with time for his family, RARE!!!!

I nominate Court Trevillyan-he's always there to work hard when you need him!

I nominate Court Trevillyan. He is extremely hard working. I could write pages about his work ethic but I'll just say....He is really the man all us ladies wish we had and the men out there wish they could be!!!

I nominate my husband Court Trevillyan. He is so hard working that once he landed a contract to clean all of the construction goo off of the exterior of a high rise building, and he did it all alone, after he built a custom cantilevered crane to lower him over the side! I once asked for more light in the basement, and ...he excavated 20 dump truck loads from the backyard to make a daylight basement! I asked him to help our daughter with a creative writing project, and he made a website that encourages young writers around the world. If he pulls up on the corner of Burnside and Grand, the Hispanic laborers ask him to get in their truck! I once bought him a nice watch that winds from movement, it broke after a month –from being OVERWOUND! One time he saw there was a problem with the receptionist’s computer at Hair M, of course has was instantly on his knees on the floor fixing it! He once read the ingredients label of shampoo, and was frustrated that the first ingredient was water, so he invented a shampoo BAR with all of the ingredients in ...exact Golden Proportion to each other. I ever hear one of our kids in the middle of the night, the next sound I hear is his feet hitting the floor to see what’s wrong. Sometimes I hear him coming to bed hours after me when he has been working on something, and I hear him say: “Tonight I am going to sleep like I’ve never slept, and in the morning I’m going to pop up like toast and greet the day with a smile!” And he does… He is so hard working, that he even wrote this entry for me!!!!

My Portland’s Hardest Working Man nominee is my husband, Darrell Prochaska. He is the best dad to our one-year-old twin boys, works full time in Semi-Conductor manufacturing and is a graduate student at Portland State University. I don't know how he does it all while still managing to stay sane. You may know him as a ...regular at the Beaverton location. Thanks for letting me brag on him, he deserves it!

I nominate my husband, Dayv for Portland's Hardest Working Man!! Since 3 1/2 years ago when we got pregnant (then bf) he immediately stepped up to the plate and took on his new role as a soon to be father. Since I was (and still am) in school full time and recently fired for being pregnant, he starting working his *ss off and hasn't stopped. He currently bartends from 4pm-2am, then goes to work at Fed Ex from 3am-7am. He comes home in the morning to have some family time, before starting to work at home as a graphic designer. He sleeps little, loves huge and I have never heard him complain once of being tired or feeling over worked. He is always positive and takes on whatever comes his way. Since we became pregnant quickly upon dating, Dayv has stood by my side, every minute. Even when times we a hard struggle he never stopped caring, working, or being a better person. He works so hard as a husband, friend, employee, and especially as a father. I think he could use a day of pampering and rest, since he never stops for himself!

I would say my sweet husband, Derek, is the hardest working man I've ever known! He is the greatest father to our 3 incredible children (3 yr. old boy and 7 mo. old twin girls) always giving 100 % of his energy 24-7. He also has a full-time job in Operations that he commutes to Vancouver from SE portland on a daily basis which is exhausting just thinking about. He wakes up daily at 5am (after a 3am feeding of one child) to spend time and feed our kids before leaving to work (to give me a break before caring for them all day long) and always makes time for them with a fun walk to the park for playtime after his workday. Never complains, smiles and has a great sense of humor. Derek is the hardest working man in Portland and I can't think of anyone that deserves this relaxing day more than him.

I'd like to nominate my ex husband and father of my daughter, Mackie. His name is Jack Donahue and he's endlessly supportive to our daughter and myself. He remains my best friend, he's an amazing Dad, and he works 60 hours a week for AT&T travelling all over the world. These are just a few of the reasons why he should win the Portland Picks for Men and HairM's hardest working man.. :)~.. and, he'll kill me for doing this.. but I don't care.. hehehe

My boyfriend James is the hardest working guy in Portland. For 21 years, he schlepped 100s of pounds of gear for the US Army, 82nd Airborne. Upon retirement, he works full time in a kitchen lifting 100s of pounds of crates, dish racks, etc...He picks up the slack for the entire kitchen staff. Even when his back is "bleeding", he comes home to cook 3-course meals, clean house, run errands and pack my lunch. He also plans romantic evenings involving bubble baths, desserts and noogie, and is willing to tag along to my social occasions which don't interest him.

Matt works from home as a professional poker player. This may seem like fun and games to many, but if you dropped by you would see that it is an intense and stressful job that lasts for hours at a stretch. Add to that we have a 7-month old baby, and are just starting out in life. In addition to long stressful work hours (in the middle of the night), and a baby that gets up at 6am everyday, Matt also is dedicated to improving the Portland community. He runs a homeless meal program that provides a lunch every Saturday at SE Alder and 14th. They feed anywhere from 40 to 100 people each Saturday, and not only provide the meal, but sit down beside the homeless that come and talk to them about their weeks, the challenges and triumphs. Matt also is passionate about children, especially boys growing up without fathers, and so is a SUN program teacher at Kelly Elementary and last year was a mentor for the Mentoring project, he is waiting to be matched again this year.

I'm nominating Mike Passarge. He's already well-groomed but I'm not sure when he has the time to take care of himself. He has a full-time business as a contractor as well as taking care of his girl-friend with ALS. He works all day and helps her on and off during the day and every night. She has a lot of medical needs as well as the normal emotional ones. He's learned how to be her caregiver. He's a good guy - and a tired one. He could really use a day of pampering - and I know his girlfriend would love to see him get it!

My bf, Paul is the hardest working man in Battle Ground, WA. He picks up 70 pound boxes from 4 PM til 2:30 AM 4 days a week. He deserves a rest! And a pick-me-up! Not to mention, he gets up at 6 am, gets the boys ready for school, then goes back to bed for a few hours before going back to work.

I would like to nominate my friend Scott Ray. Scott is a lawyer and works for Interlink, a company that manages getting transplant organs to hospitals across the US. He saves lives!! He is also a single dad with 3 kids. 2 teen-age boys live with him full-time. Scott works full-time, does all the cooking, cleaning and laundry. He also takes care of his parents and he deserves a day of pampering and he loves a great french meal and a bottle of wine. Scott has the best attitude and is funny and I don't know how it does it all!!! He even got a pedicure with me and painted his toes! See his pic in the fan photos!!

My husband Shawn should absolutely be nominated for Portland's Hardest Working Man. Shawn has a full time job working for a local power company and carries a pager that will call him in when extra help is needed during his off-hours to earn extra money. On top of this, he teaches percussion at a local high school. Though he finds this demanding and underpaid position VERY rewarding, it has kept him away from his family during most of his free time. When he is home, however, he strives to spend as much time with his son as possible, which includes getting up with him when he wakes up during the night even though he leaves for work at 5am. Most days I know he feels like he's letting me down by spending so much time away from home, but I believe he is a wonderful, strong, caring man who deserves recognition for all that he does for us.